Policy dispute leads Google to disable Android app sales in Taiwan

The government of Taiwan fined Google for failing to comply with a consumer …

A consumer protection law in Taiwan requires Internet software retailers to offer potential customers a week-long free trial of any application that can be purchased via download. According to the government of Taiwan, Apple's App Store and Google's Android Market both fell afoul of the policy.

Apple responded to the government's warning by accommodating the request for a seven-day trial period for iOS users in Taiwan, but Google declined to make the requisite changes. Taiwan has fined the search giant approximately $35,000 for failing to comply with the law. In response to the fine, Google has disabled application purchasing functionality for Android users who live in Taiwan.

The complex and highly disparate nature of laws governing commerce around the world pose serious challenges for global software vendors. The difficulty of navigating and complying with regional legal obligations is one of the reasons why Google's Android Market isn't fully supported yet in every country.

Google used to offer a 24-hour refund policy for the Android Market, but controversially dropped the refund time limit to a mere 15 minutes last year. The move came alongside other changes to the Android Market that were intended to satisfy the requests of the third-party Android application development community. A number of application developers were concerned about potential abuses of the 24-hour return period and had asked that it be reduced or abolished.

It's not yet clear how Google will proceed in handling this dispute over Taiwan's mandatory seven-day trial period, but it seems like the move to shut down Android Market purchases for the country isn't going to be the final word. Google is reportedly sending a delegation to Taiwan for further discussions with the government in Taipei.